Len
Pizzey was coming back to town after some time off when he spotted a
for-sale sign on the lawn of the Laking House on Highland Street in
Haliburton more than two decades ago.

The building was a private
residence for many years and had been converted into a commercial
space by Keith Jackson, for his real estate company.

Overlooking Head
Lake at the centre of the village, the house seemed like a good fit
for a newspaper operation, said Pizzey, who at the time was publisher
of the Haliburton County Echo.

“I
asked the staff if they thought it was a good idea that I buy the
house and we move the newspaper office there,” said Pizzey.
“Everybody was really enthusiastic about that.”

At the time, the
Echo was produced from the space beneath the CIBC at the corner of
York Street and Maple Avenue – what is now Outdoors Plus.

Although
it was clear the Laking House wouldn’t be big enough for the staff
of the newspaper, the homey feel of the building and its location
offered possibilities.

Almost immediately, work commenced on
expanding the office, with graphic designer Sandi Luck drawing up
plans to create a production room and second basement as well as two
additional office spaces upstairs. The work was done by local
contractor GJ Burtch Construction, which maintained the look of the
building, including extending the verandah.

Pizzey said the new
building was good for morale and helped create a team atmosphere. “At
some times of the year some people spent as much time in the office
working to produce special publications and deal with the rush of
summer business as they spent at home,” he said. “It had the
feeling of being like another home. It made a huge difference to
people’s enjoyment of coming to work and to people’s ability to
work together.”

When Pizzey sold the Echo in 2004, he kept the
building, leasing it to the new owners.

Now, 13 years later, the
house and the business come under the same ownership. White Pine
Media, which has owned the Echo since 2014, purchased the Laking
House last week.

“It was the most logical thing and the best future
for the house in my view was that the Echo and the house become a
merged entity. Now the newspaper owns its home,” he said.

Echo
publisher David Zilstra, a member of the White Pine Media ownership
group, said buying the building solidifies the place of the paper in
the village.

“We’re pleased to have this come full circle under
the ownership of White Pine Media,” he said. “We’re going to
continue on with the proud legacy of the Echo in the community.”

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